From the Depths of Despair
by Lady Zahara
Summary: When the survivors of the killing school life agreed to remain on the island, it was with the hopes that their sleeping friends would return to them. But fate had something else in store. For those who woke from their coma-like state, remembered nothing of the island, hope fragments, or the killing school trip. Only despair remained.
1. Chapter 1

Waking up from the Neo World was, by far, the most humiliating thing to happen to Kuzuryuu. He was fatigued, mostly nude, and swarmed by strangers eager to unhook him from the machine. It didn't help, that even with his blurred vision, he could hear Kazuichi's hoarse voice complain of the same thing. Shouldn't a guy like hat be reveling in the attention? Then it hit him.

He remembered the island.

Every face, every murder, it was all still there!

"Guys, are you alright!?" He brushed off a nurse and tried to stand on his own. A chorus of jubilant replies flooded the room. Everyone was still here. Even Hinata, who was told he would vanish, called back to his friends. Their reunion was interrupted b a blaring siren.

"More dry heaves doctor!" A nurse called back. "Blood pressure's down again, I don't think the transfusion is working."

"Is it sepsis?" The physician asked as he rushed over to an sealed pod.

"No, she's just anemic again. I don't understand, nowhere on her file is there a record of diabetes, but her blood sugar's started to drop as well."

"We can't postpone this. The machine's off." He signaled two nurses. "Unhook her with the rest of them and get her to the ER. Sandra find out if the blood work is back from the lab, in the meantime we need fluids and glucose for her."

"Wait, what's going on?" Fuyuhiko asked, but was ushered with the rest of the survivors into another room. Everyone graciously accepted the hospital robes and sat down at a conference table.

"Okay, what was all that" Akane asked.

"You have just exited the Neo World Program," a doctor began, "it was designed as a psycho therapeutic-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Hinata interjected, "but we know all that already. The class trial is still fresh in our minds." He pointedly avoided why they were expected to forget all this.

"Then allow me to elaborate. The program was designed to replace mental trauma and provided a physical environment that could supply nutrients and hygiene care for a healthy individual. Because it is still in its trial phase, we were unable to compensate for preexisting conditions." Akane played with her skeletal hands. "A fair number of the students came to us with serious medical conditions; some visually diagnosable, others unknown. You will all have a full health screening and physical therapy."

"How long were we in the machine?" Sonia asked.

"The simulation progressed in real time, so only a month. After we check your vitals, you should be free to get reacquainted with the island. For security reasons, you will not be permitted to leave the central island. Owari and Kuzuryuu, however, will need immediate treatment."

"What, why?" Fuyuhiko demanded.

"Kuzuryuu-kun," Hinata gapped, "your eye!"

"What about it, you should see yourself, you look like a circus freak." He frowned. "It's not like I- I'm not the bastard that took one of Enoshima's eyes..." He brought his hand up to his right eye, still unable to see clearly out of it.

"It's not that bad," Kazuichi said, knocking on his metal arm, "I've seen worse on TV and stuff."

"That's right!" Sonia agreed. "In a way, it's more normal for your eye to be damaged then not." Hinata turned back to the doctor.

"What about the others?"

"It's still too early to tell." The doctor sighed. "As of right now, they can safely be removed from the machine. Only time will tell if they will ever wake. Out top researchers are looking into the possibility as we speak."

~o~

They never could get out of the doctors who got carted off in such a hurry. Something about doctor-patient confidentiality. Unable to access future foundation facilities until they could prove permanent mental competency. Hinata and his friends were to remain under surveillance.

"I don't like the way those guards are looking at us." Owari said over lunch.

"You'll get used to it." Fuyuhiko sighed.

"Well I recieved some good news from Naegi-kun." Hinata sighed. "We'll have our cottages by the end of the week."

"Wonderful," Sonia beamed, "I could make name plates for everyone again. It will be nice to finally sleep in a room without a camera."

"Seriously!" Souda shouted. His hands slammed onto the table as he stood, "I'm tired of being treated like a criminal here!"

"We are criminals." Owari sneered.

"Which is precisely why we need to stay calm and keep a low profile." Hinata reminded. "Naegi's trying to convince the Future Foundation that all of the Remnants of Despair died when the Neo World went offline. Until they can do that, we have to stay on the central island and cooperate with the people who are risking their necks to help us."

"I know it's frustrating," Sonia sighed, "but all of this is temporary. Our friends are receiving the medical treatment they need, and soon will be able to join us."

"Good," Owari snorted, "cause with food like this Teruteru's got his work cut out for him." The group managed a half hearted laugh before resuming their meal in relative silence.

~o~

The moonlight painted add shadows on the far wall of Fuyuhiko's bedroom. He should consider himself lucky that they let him have a window at all. Owari was right, most of the personnel here gave them dirty, horrified looks. Not that he blamed them, but it felt like he was trapped in a sick joke that everyone was in on but him. Countless questions assaulted him during the day. How are you feeling? Did you remember your school life? What are you going to do about the eye? He couldn't see out of the damn thing, all it did was act as a painful reminder he was forgetting something important. As he lay in bed, an arm snuck out from the shadows and pulled him to his feet.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but we have to go." A female voice snapped. She quickly dodged his reflexive punch. "We don't have time for this."

"...Peko?" He gapped. "It can't be, it's only been a few days, the doctors didn't-"

"This way master," she pulled out the room and stumbled down a flight of steps. Broken IV stand in hand, Peko tried to lead them to the exit, though apparently disoriented.

"Peko, hold up." He tugged her arm and pulled her in for a hug. "Look I'm fine, see. We both are." He stepped back and tilted her face so he could get a better look at her. It was odd to see her without her glasses. She had matured greatly since he had last seen her, but beautiful nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I- sorry." He blushed, removing his hands.

"This isn't right." She frowned.

"Look, I know you're probably confused, but the killing game is over and done with. If we just get the others up we can get this all sorted out." Anxiety wormed its way into her features.

"Forget about the others! This place is crawling with future foundation members, we have to get out of here." She glanced quickly in the opposite direction and took a hold of his arm again.

"Trust me, it's going to be okay. I won't let them hurt you." She dropped his arm like it was burning and drew her makeshift weapon against him. "Peko!"

"You're not him." She whispered. Guards came thundering down the hall. "My master never protected me." Her grip tightened around the pole The weapon quivered with each breath. "You're not my master!" She shouted as the guards took a hold of her.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm studying as a nursing student, so I will do my best to make everything as medically accurate as possible.**

"It's safe to come in." Peko told her visitor. "The hospital staff took away any potential weapons, even the curtain rod." Hinata took this as an invitation and sat by her bedside. Since her escape, security had increased on the third floor and visits had to be tape recorded.

"You were in critical condition before you woke up, it gave us all quite a scare." Hinata began. "What happened?" Peko stared back at him hollowly.

"Couldn't you get that information from my numerous sitters?" She asked.

"I'd rather have your permission first." Hinata explained. "No one willing divulge information before, and it would be an invasion of privacy if I looked at your chart."

"Is that all you want from me?" She asked.

"The Future Foundation probably refused to give you any information that would answer your questions. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here. Otherwise our visit will be a little short. "

"...You've changed." Peko observed. "I have had the misfortune of meeting many selfish individuals in my lifetime, and the only time we met, I knew you were one of them. However, you do not behave like the individual I met."

"Well, this is who I was before the tragedy, mostly." Hinata sighed. "The psycho therapy wasn't a complete success. Thanks to Kamukura, only a handful of us were able to leave the Neo World Program without our memories of Hope's Peak Academy."

"So you really are a different person." She frowned. "Yet you do not find it alarming how a single program erased your existence and replaced it with one that would work alongside the Future Foundation?"

"I chose this path on my own. The world is better off without Kamukura in it."

"That's easy for you to say, there was no one in the real world waiting for him to return." She clutched the chest restraint that held her to the bed.

"We're all waiting for you to get better so you can explore the central island with us. The sooner we find out why you woke up, the sooner we can help the others." Hinata was a self proclaimed king of avoiding uncomfortable topics. They didn't have access to any of the profiles on the Remnants of Despair. Frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the details of what went on during those two and a half years.

"Are you sure you want the others to wake?" Peko asked. "They will be strangers to you, as you are to me. I doubt any of them will willingly cooperate with you."

"We'll worry about that later." A knock indicated he had to leave. "One of us will be by again tomorrow." He surveyed the sterile room. "Do you still like cloth dolls and rabbits?" We should be able to get you something as long as it's small." He couldn't help but smile at her disbelief.

"I am more partial to cats nowadays." She corrected lamely.

"Cats, got it." He beamed and left. Peko numbly flipped through the TV channels. There was nowhere to go back to and Junko's empty promises failed to fill the void. She shouldn't think about that now. It would be better to feign complacency until they let her go. Then she could let her despair consume her. A fair punishment, she supposed, for hoping she could escape the cycle of despair.

~o~

The enormous, grey building in the heart of Jabberwok Park made walks around the island less scenic. However, Kuzuryuu would go stir crazy if he stayed inside for too long. He often found himself taking walks with Sonia. Even if it was only digital, the fun house had left a lasting effect on Sonia.

"They still won't let me in to see Peko. The doctor thinks I'll set her off again and Hinata agrees with him!" He kicked at the dirt with a growl. "If she's in such bad shape, I should be there for her. You should have seen her Sonia, she acted like I was a stranger."

"It is not a preferable situation," Sonia agreed, "but she is awake and recovering quickly I've heard." Birds chirped in the trees as they orbited the building. "What about you?" She gestured to her own eye with a shrug.

"I went ahead and had them take the damn thing out." He cricked his neck. "No complications. Which is good, Owari's giving them hell in physical therapy. They asked me to keep her out of trouble, like that's going to do anything."

"Kazuichi-kun's right arm was taken away. After his recent outburst they decided to check it for weapons, so he's been having difficulties with basic tasks." She giggled. "I'm worried though. There's so much that has changed in the world, and I'm not entirely sure I want to know what happened. Is that wrong?"

"Well, I'm not the best judge of character myself, but I think it's perfectly normal to feel how you do. The world got fucked up, bad, but we can fix what's in front of us here."

"It's just, I requested to have some decedents of Tanaka's empire for the island. I wasn't even thinking, I just wanted this place to feel more like home. However, I was told they couldn't acquire any of them." Her voice grew quiet. "The Humane Society shut them down years ago." He couldn't bring himself to say anything. He wasn't Hinata, he couldn't pull motivational speeches out of his ass at the drop of a hat. A few ideas came to mind, but nothing worth trying. They continued to walk in silence.

~o~

Owari continued to spar with the punching bag in the gym, regardless of her therapist's warnings. Though Hinata and Kuzuryuu were more entertained by Souda's difficulties with his new prosthetic.

"My robotic prosthetic was wired into my nervous system." He reminisced. "It was just like having a real arm, only cooler. But nooo, you have one little firearm hidden between the drill and the cooling system and suddenly you get a glorified Pick Stick strapped to your shoulder."

"Just grab the ball." Hinata laughed. Fuyuhiko lolled his head back to look at Akane from the spectator bench.

"I don't know why you dragged me here if all you're going to do is punch sand." He said.

"Pekoyama asked me to." She said with a shrug.

"Pekoyama-san talked to you about Kuzuryuu-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Eh, kinda?" Owari jabbed at the sand bag. "I went in to talk to her, cause I figured she was bored, and she started yelling at me. Apparently I'm failing in my duties or something. Anyway, I got the feeling she'd blame me if something happened to you. We gotta' look out for each other anyway and if it makes her feel better to use me as the go between, I'm fine with that. Gives me an excuse to punch people." Hinata and Kuzuryuu shared a worried look.

"Owari-chan, I think it would be best if you didn't see Pekoyama-san for a while. She's still adjusting." Hinata suggested.

"She can't adjust if we lock out everything that freaks her out. Just give me twenty minutes and I can have this sorted out." Fuyuhiko began.

"It's not that simple." Hinata sighed.

"I know Peko. Once she realizes that we are both safe, she'll calm down and-"

"She's not the same person Kuzuryuu!" Hinata shouted. "Talking to her now will just make the Future Foundation upset."

"This is bullshit." Fuyuhiko muttered.

"Kuzuryuu-kun." Owari frowned as Fuyuhiko collected his things to leave.

"No need to get up, I'm only going to my room." He spat. "I'm just sick and tired of this shit." The door to the therapy room slammed shut behind him. Souda nervously looked around the room and tried to break the tension.

"Guys, do you think Miss Sonia's trying to avoid me?"

~o~

The next meal they shared was spent in silence. Even Souda's difficulties with his cutlery failed to inspire playful jabbing. As dinner time wrapped up to a close, Akane slammed her fist into the table.

"This is stupid," She snorted, "why isn't anybody talking?"

"Owari-san, now might not be the time for this altercation." Sonia soothed.

"We've been through worse together, I don't see why this is a big deal." She said.

"You wouldn't be saying that if Nidai was in there." Kuzuryu growled.

"If Coach Nidai was in there, I would have punched Hinata in the face and seen him anyway, but that's now what you're doing. You're sitting on your ass, giving us the silent treatment."

"Everyone, please, we are trying to keep a low profile. Fighting amongst ourselves accomplishes nothing." Sonia declared.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Fuyuhiko hissed under his breath. "Hinata's right, we can't recklessly piss off the Future Foundation and there's nothing we can do to change their minds."

"The people here are afraid of letting us use our talents." Kazuichi pointed out. "Without them, or anything else to do, we're sitting ducks."

"Well then, we simply must think of a project then." Sonia suggested. "Something productive to keep our minds off of things. And perhaps, we could all write Pekoyama-san letters since some of us will be unable to visit her for some time." She looked to Hinata for approval.

"It couldn't hurt to ask." He agreed. "In the meantime, we should see if they need help with the reconstruction of the first island. Refugees have been told to stay on the third island, so I bet the Future Foundation could use some man power." It was a small step, but at least it was in the right direction.


	3. Chapter 3

The longer Peko sat in the hospital room, the more she realized she had a habit of over thinking things. If her plans were written on paper, they could have filled the whole room, and each one tapered off in the same place. She tried her best to melt into the sheets and disappear. Fate had other ideas in mind. A knock at the door was her only warning that she would have a visitor that day.

"Good afternoon Pekoyama-san," Hinata said carefully, "how are you feeling today?"

"The same as I did the last time you came to talk to me." Peko stated. "Though it seems I'll be fit enough to join you under supervision soon."

"That's good. Kuzuryuu-kun's been at everyone's throats since he couldn't see you." Hinata half chuckled. "Everyone wrote you letters, there's also a file on what happened in the Neo World if you're interested."

"Just put it on the table." They sat together a while before Peko asked. "You're not going to ask about my previous altercation?"

"I figured you'd tell me on your own if you wanted to talk about it." She nodded and stared at the muted television. "We also pitched in to get you this." He pulled out a small chibified cat plushie about the size of a fist and placed it on top of the papers.

"What do you expect from me in return?" She appealed.

"Nothing," Hinata protested, "look I know you probably don't think of us as your friends and it must be weird to have all these strangers talking to you so familiarly. But we do care about you. Even if you can't think of us as friends, at least know we are your allies." She didn't look like she was going to say anything else. After a few moments passed, Hinata got up to leave.

"Malnutrition." She finally said. "Earlier, you asked why I was in critical condition. It was because of malnutrition."

"Thank you Peko."

-o-

The rag tag group sat in a conference room on the second floor. The chief medical adviser explained that their friends could be saved.

"The electrical impulse from the game fooled the brain into shutting down and caused a form of sleep paralysis. Once removed from the machine, the hormonal feedback loop can be safely stimulated with a shot of adrenaline. However," the surgeon was apprehensive, "my staff, morally refuse to perform the procedure. Pekoyama-san's case was unavoidable, but the other Remnants of Despair can still be contained."

"I thought you were here because you wanted to help us, what gives?" Owari frowned.

"Pekoyam-san took a few weeks just to cooperate with the research team. You've only had to deal with two of Junko's followers in the past. One of whom, was willing to kill two of your friends. We'd have our hands full with one waking up, let alone two or three at a time. And the years of therapy involved..." He shook his head.

"Just wake them up one at a time then." Kuzuryuu grunted.

"If we wait until someone's stable, then the island won't get over run." Hinata explained. "We can take care of them amongst ourselves, I don't see what the problem is."

"The longer the brain remains inactive, the more it will atrophy. Any longer than a month and the chance of waking them up with severe brain damage greatly increases." He professed. "If you still wish to revive your friends the medical staff will leave, the first and central island will go on lock down, and I will only be able to give support from the third island. The choice is yours, I'll give you all a moment to discuss this." As soon as he left, the room broke out in a six sided debate.

"I cannot leave Tanaka-san in a vegetative state." Sonia confessed. "Perhaps we could compromise with the staff and rescue a few people."

"No." Hinata countered. "We shouldn't barter with people's lives."

"Coach Nidai saved my life twice already, there's no way I'm letting him die on me again!" Owari protested.

"We aren't capable of handling a breakout of disease or illness. The only one of us who could, wouldn't help us if our lives depended on it. We need the staff if something goes wrong." Kuzuryuu ranted. "If we step out of line, they bolt."

"We'll just have everyone save one person." Owari suggested. "That way at least one person can be with them at all times."

"That's not fair to the people who are left behind. Either everyone gets saved or we play by the Future Foundation's rules." Hinata sighed. "They have every right to be apprehensive. If we let the others go, the killings could start again."

"Would you guys listen to yourselves!" Souda admonished. "Why is this even a discussion, of course we'll save everyone. Look, I don't know about you guys, but before this messed up school trip I didn't have any friends. And I'm not about to let the Future Foundation bully me, again, into letting them spend the rest of their lives as a vegetable because it's "what's best". I know a lot has changed in three years, but those guys, they're all good people. Good people who got scared and listened to someone who let them down. Well, I'm not going to let them down either." He looked around the table. "Who's with me?" Everyone eventually agreed whole heartedly. So what if the Future Foundation was going to turn their back on them. It wasn't like they hadn't prepared for that already.

"Wow Kazuichi, you sounded really cool for a moment." Akane snickered. "Almost like a leader."

"Really?" Souda grinned. "What about you Miss Sonia? You like guys who take charge, right?" Sonia practically buried her face in her hands.

"And you're back at square one." Akane rolled her eyes.

"Like fucking clockwork." Kuzuryuu said with the shake of his head. "So what are we going to tell them?"

"Exactly what we decided." Hinata smiled. "Nobody gets left behind. I'll take care of the logistics, though I'll need Kazuichi-kun's help figuring out the technical end of the Neo World. Sonia, see if you can secure some form of trade with the other island. We'll need supplies during the lock down. Akane, how are we on shelter?"

"Fine; the last few cottages still need running water and electricity, but they'll keep the rain off ya." She reported.

"See if you can get them to turn the water on before everyone leaves." He turned to Kuzuryuu.

"I'm not doing shit until I talk to Peko." He tested. "But once I do, we'll make sure we've got a treatment plan for everyone and all dangerous items are locked up." With assigned tasks, the group split up like many times before.

-o-

Kuzuryuu had the sense of mind to knock before entering the room. Peko sat in bed, morose and pinching her lower lip between her teeth. When their eyes met, unadulterated joy clashed with subdued shock.

"I thought you were not allowed to see me." Peko stated. The pieces of her mask quickly fell back into place.

"I'm not, but since the Future Foundation is leaving, I figured fuck them." He said. His unopened letter briefly catching his eye. "Peko, we need to talk."

"We have nothing to discuss." Peko replied.

"I know this all must be difficult for you, but I'm here for you now." He began. "We can work through this together."

"Just stop it already." Peko declared. "You do not need me anymore. As far as that file is concerned, I have served my purpose, so you can just leave." She threw the information on the Neo World on the end table.

"It wasn't like that Peko, if you would just listen to me." Kuzuryuu reached out to touch her, but she flinched away. "I don't understand."

"You did once." She said quietly. "I don't have to listen to you anymore and I shouldn't have to explain why. You know why, you just chose not to remember. If you came here looking for an explanation, you picked the wrong person , because I want one too." She exhaled, willing the tension to leave her body. "Now I'll never get the answer to all those silly questions. I was replaced once and now it seems I've been replaced again. So no, we do not have something to talk about. You have the freedom you wanted, just go." He wordlessly undid the bed restraints and got up to leave.

"I don't know what I did to you," he said softly, "but whatever it was, I'm sorry." He promised the others that he would take care of the medical records before everyone left the island and getting Peko to open up to him was going to take longer than twenty minutes.

She wanted to scream or hit something, but she knew it wouldn't really help. The way he was acting was oddly nostalgic, but the polar opposite of the commanding man she remembered. For months she had heard nothing from him, even when they went to the same school. Then Lady Junko died and the precarious world she built up around her came crashing down. How was she supposed to fill in the gaps, when her former master wouldn't even remember their first kiss.

-o-

Whoever decided to name the pods that held their friends sarcophagi, deserved to get punched in the face. With the island long since abandoned, the survivors finally had access to the Neo World room. An iridescent green glow filled the room. Peko had decided to join them too, though she lingered away from the group.

"Now they won't wake up immediately after being unplugged." Souda explained. He cringed at Sonia's glare. "Sorry, staff terminology, not mine."

"The adrenaline shots are locked up in the operating room." Kuzuryuu explained, clipboard in hand. "There's enough so that each person gets one shot. If we mess up..." He didn't bother to finish the thought. There were too many possibilities to consider. "I say we start with one person, then if it works, more up from there.

"I woke up around two in the morning." Peko reminded the group.

"Ugh, math." Akane stuck out her tongue.

"So, about 14 hours." Hinata concluded. "I guess the question is, who gets to go first?" Sonia stepped forward.

"If you don't mind, I took the liberty of preparing a drawing." She held out a clutch purse. "Everyone here has a personal bias, so I thought we could pick a name at random."

"Sounds fair," Akane nodded, "as long as we get to everyone. And if the bastard's really off his rocker, Pekoyama n' I can take 'em down no problem."

"If absolutely necessary." Peko stated. "You could end up drawing a non-combatant." She knew Junko had a few of those when she was briefly Junko's favorite. Without hesitation Hajime pulled out a name.

"Tanaka-san." He read.

"What?" Souda gasped. "Let me see that!" Sure enough, Gundam's name was printed on the strip of paper. He grabbed the bag. "It's gotta' be rigged." Souda had played the part of the fool, each strip was a different name, and Sonia was furious.

"I am shocked you would accuse me of such deceit!" She snatched the purse from him. "Kuzuryuu-kun, is there anything we should be concerned about before waking him?" Fuyuhiko flipped to Gundam's chart.

"Came in with high BP, tremors, untreated lacerations on the lower extremities and left arm. Injuries were most likely caused by an animal." He flipped the paper over. "Condition improved considerably after entering the Neo World, and negative test results for..." He reread the sentence, "for rabbis." Souda contained his ill timed laughter. "Looks like all we have to do is keep an eye on him for a bit, treat the cuts and we'll be good."

"Provided he is mentally competent." Peko reminded.

"We will deal with that later," Sonia sighed, "if it becomes an issue. For now, let us... 'unplug' him from the machine."

"Uhh..." Souda objected, "given his state of undress, shouldn't us guys take care of this?" Hinata nodded in agreement.

"You can join us when we administer the shot," Hinata offered, "but this will be much less humiliating for him in hindsight if we handle this."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty." Kuzuryuu agreed, wishing he hadn't been conscious when he was unplugged. "We'll see you ladies in a few." The air between him and Peko was still tense, but he took it in stride. Yes, things were difficult now, but it could have been a lot worse. Whenever she stared back at him with those cold red eyes, he had to remind himself she was here.

She was awake.

She was alive.


	4. Chapter 4

Souda sat in the abandoned cafeteria, tinkering with spare parts. He looked up briefly when Hinata walked in, then resumed his work. The hotel was fully renovated, but nobody seemed comfortable going in yet. The combination of the fully furnished lobby and absence of Hiyoko's alter were still a little too much to handle.

"Ever since Tanaka-kun hit the 12 hour mark, Miss Sonia's been sitting in his room." He told Hinata. "I thought about going in too, but it would just be weird with her there." They were never were what one would consider friends, but he missed the odd, if somewhat questionable, rivalry they had going on. "I think he was still butt hurt that we left him out when we went to the beach." Hinata nodded in agreement, remembering the passive aggressive way he would talk to his hamster, even days after the fact. "I wanted to make it up to him."

"We still can." Hinata proclaimed. "He might not understand the 'why', but I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Souda set down his wrench and made eye contact with Hinata.

"It's been 20 hours since we injected him and nothing's changed. How much longer do we wait until we give up?" He held his head in his good hand. "She spent days searching the amusement park for those hamsters. I don't think she can handle going through that again." He sighed. "Seeing me will just make things worse, but do you think you could check on her for me? Make sure she's eating and stuff."

"I told her to go outside and get some fresh air for a bit. Between Akane and Peko's new appetite, I'm sure she'll eat something. Tanaka-san's a fighter, he wouldn't let something like this keep him down." Souda sighed with relief.

"Well he better wake up soon." Souda grumbled. "I don't want to win Miss Sonia's heart because Sleeping Beauty decided to take an extra long dirt nap." With some of his worries quelled, Kazuichi was free to geek out about the modifications he was making to his prosthetic. "Finally, I'll be able to hold a damn spoon steady.

-o-

Akane adjusted to their situation quickly. In hindsight, Kuzuryuu thought, it was probably her adaptability that kept her alive. They had come to the beach, presumably to swim, but it seemed she had other ideas in mind.

"Take a swing at me." She stated as she cracked her knuckles.

"Woah, what the hell?" Kuzuryuu asked.

"I need someone to spar with and every time I ask Hinata, he makes this face." She mimicked the flash of terror Hinata got at the prospect of violence. "You're not dressed up like usual, so come at me bro."

"What makes you think I want to fight you?" Kuzuryuu frowned. Sure he was pissed off about their situation, but he wasn't going to take it out on Akane.

"Just go ahead and take a swing." Akane motioned towards her. "I gotta' know what I'm dealing with so I don't knock you out with one punch."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuzuryuu grimaced.

"Means you blow a lot of air like you're hot shit; but you're too much of a wimp to do anything." He wasn't doing what she wanted, so she employed a tactic that worked on her younger brothers. "Little wussy boy's too scared to fight a girl." She imitated a chicken just to get under his skin.

"Damn it Owari!" So he took the bait, she was literally asking for it. It wasn't like either had never been in a fight before, they were just fighting in different bodies. The number of hits he was missing was embarrassing, but Akane had lost a lot of her strength as well.

Peko watched the stumbling altercation from a distance. It was fitting that even after their memory loss, that they still got along. She remembered the pictures Junko had shown her of her old master and his replacement. Though she claimed that it didn't matter, she couldn't help but feel little jealous and betrayed. She was drawn out of her thoughts when Sonia sat beside her.

"Normally Owari-san would be fighting with Nidai-san. It seems Kuzuryuu-kun is an exception." Sonia commented. She could tell she was encroaching on a sensitive topic and changed the subject. "I found something today that I think you will find interesting." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a grey, robo dwarf hamster. "I found him, or her I'm not sure, in the hotel washroom." She cupped her hands so the rodent couldn't escape and held it out to Peko. Too apprehensive to hold the creature, Peko instead carefully stroked it's back. "I think he was attracted to the water. When I went in to use the bathroom, he came right out and waited patiently to be picked up." She set the hamster on her lap and tiny feet scurried this way and that. "You know, I never would have found him if I hadn't gone into the hotel. I know nobody else has, they don't want to face that what they knew is gone." She cradled her pet. "I'm the same way too, but if I hadn't gone in there, the little guy could have starved."

"It is strange," Peko said as she watched the creature doze in Sonia's hands, "being attached to something that has been erased." She returned to watching the fist fight. "I know it's petty to hold a grudge against someone who doesn't exist anymore." She grimaced as Kuzuryuu hit the sand. "Especially when they can't defend themselves, but I can't help feeling... bitter."

"It's not petty." Sonia countered. "What happened to you was real, and it won't go away just because some find it inconvenient. We don't want to trivialize what happened to you as if it didn't matter. Similarly, what happened to us was real. We are just fortunate enough to have been given a second chance. Moving toward the future isn't about ignoring the past, it's about dealing with what life has given us," she stroked her pet's back, "and finding the light."

-o-

Akane stretched her arms as she entered the cafeteria with Fuyuhiko.

"Man's there's nothing like a good sparring to work up an appetite!" She grinned.

"Speak for yourself." Kuzuryuu grumbled, the clear loser. During their fight, he quickly found out his depth perception was as good as one. It made it very difficult to figure out where to punch if she moved too fast. Which was, of course, the whole time. He could feel the bruises manifest under his skin and he definitely messed up his wrist when he fell.

"Quit your whining, I'll get you some ice." Akane said as she disappeared into the kitchen. When Sonia and Peko joined them, Kuzuryuu was fumbling with an ace bandage.

"How do you manage to do anything?" He asked of Kazuichi. Even though the brace fastened with Velcro, he couldn't hold the free end without his hand hurting.

"Well, it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park," Kazuichi theorized, "but I found cursing a lot helps."

"No shit." Kuzuryuu grumbled.

"Owari-chan," Hinata scolded as he stormed towards the kitchen, "what made you think this was a good idea?"

"You don't fight with your head Hinata, you fight with your fists." Owari retorted. Now three years wasn't that long in the grand skeem of things, but Fuyuhiko figured by now he should at least know how to bandage himself without looking ridiculous.

"You're doing it wrong." Peko stated. She sat down next to him and took his arm. Later she would blame second nature, but at the time, she didn't find it strange to wrap up Kuzuryuu's arm. "If you wrap it too tight, you'll just hurt yourself more." She became increasingly aware of the stares she was getting and let go of his arm.

"Thanks Peko." Kuzuryuu said quietly. He brought his arm close to his stomach for comfort. As soon as Akane returned, Peko left with a sudden excuse.

"Here you got bro." Akane said, giving him a ziplock bag full of ice.

"Who said I was your bro?" Kuzuryuu said, scrunching up his face.

"Well Hinata agreed to be my new little brother." Akane explained. "And if you and Hinata are brothers, that makes you my brother too." She nodded in agreement with herself.

"By that logic, wouldn't I be your brother too?" Souda asked, equally confused.

"Sure, why not?" Akane shrugged.

"Hinata!" Fuyuhiko shouted at the kitchen. "What did you get me into?"

"Sonia too." Akane suggested.

"I always wanted to have siblings." She agreed with a smile.

"I mean, you guys are probably the only family I have left." Akane said with a dry chuckle. "So we gotta' stick together no madder what. Even if some of us are whiny wusses." She couldn't help but laugh when both boys took offence to the comment.

"Don't be ridiculous Owari-chan." Kazuichi said as he reattached him arm. "Of course we'll stick together. Just because I promised my heart to Miss Sonia, doesn't mean I'll stop caring about you guys."

"Alas," Sonia said in mock revere, "now that we are brother and sister, such a relationship would be inappropriate. You simply must find another to shower with your affection." Souda digested this, his face molded by terror.

"Wait a minute, I changed my mind!" Souda shrieked.

"Too late man!" Fuyuhiko grinned. "You're stuck with us now."

"Hinata-kun!" Souda gasped. "You gotta' help me outta' this one. Hinata-kun!"

-o-

Night had long since fallen on the island. Hinata found himself pouring over medical files and resources. Tanaka hadn't woken up yet and they had past the twenty-four hour mark. If something didn't happen soon, they would be coming to him for answers. After finding Tanaka's file, he paused. Why were there only fourteen files?

He checked the ground, and nearby surfaces for the missing chart. It was doubly concerning that Peko's file was the one that went missing. Finally, he came to the garbage can, and found it was full of shredded paper.

"I thought you weren't going to look at my information without my permission." Peko stated coldly from the doorway. Hinata hit his head on the desk as he came up.

"I wasn't," he hissed in pain, "I wanted to check the doctor's report on the adrenaline research." Peko stiffened, her lips pulled into a defensive frown.

"I apologize, but that file contained some rather unflattering facets of my life. I couldn't risk the chance that he would see them." She avoided making eye contact.

"Kuzuryuu-kun is in charge of the charts." Hinata concluded. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "You didn't have to do that, I can't imagine there would be anything in there that would make him think less of you."

"You'd be wrong." She sighed. "Besides, what good would those files do you, you're just an ordinary high school student." She noticed him flinch.

"Not exactly. I was," his red eyes focused on something far away, "but I managed to mess that up too. It weirds everybody out if I start using my talent in front of them. Souda's cool with it, but even he gets wary sometimes." He looked down at his hands. "If I can get everyone out of this, it may not make up for what I did, but it's a start."

"You remember what happened?" Peko asked.

"Not really. I keep having nightmares about it," he shrugged, "but that's probably just brain garbage... Thank you, for listening I mean." Peko wasn't used to being thanked. She studied the floor under the heat of his gaze. "Was there something you wanted from me?"

'Yes," she coughed, "clothes. For me and the others. After finishing physical therapy, some of us might not fit in the standard attire that was given to us."

"That's a good point." Hinata nodded. "I'm not sure anything we have here will fit Togami-san anyway. I'll talk with Sonia-san about it in the morning." Pekoyama nodded and left without another word.

-o-

It wasn't until night had fallen that Tanaka finally woke up. He was used to waking up in strange places, provided he was near some source of food. It briefly crossed his mind that he was not in his usual attire as he stumbled down the hall, following the fork and knife signs.

Once he had raided the cupboard, he took the time to consider his surroundings. No eminent danger was in the air, he was without an animal entourage and no one else in the building was awake. Odd, there should at least be night personnel out and about: not that he would actually engage them.

"Tanaka-san?" Holy hell fire, who was that!? And how did they manage to sneak up on him? He turned to peer at the feminine shadow in the hallway. "Tanaka-san, you're really awake!" She cried.

It was foreign to hear someone say his birth name, especially with such fondness. When she ran towards him he flinched.

"Oh, you probably don't want me touching you." She said sadly, as if remembering something. "My name is Sonia." She said softly. "I'm just so glad you're okay. If I could just listen to your heartbeat, I'm sure I wouldn't be poisoned."

Definitely odd that a creature such as herself would know that about him. He didn't decline the offer. Perhaps it was one of Lady Junko's tests. No madder, he would not break the vow he made to Enoshima. He would remain voiceless until his dying breath, regardless of this temptress's wishes.

Sonia took slow, careful steps towards him and rested an ear against his back. He felt the thunderous roar beneath his chest, but no snide comment left her lips. They stood like this in the darkness for what felt like hours. Her tears soaked through his thin cotton shirt without a sound. It took every ounce of his being to not ask 'why'.


	5. Chapter 5

Sonia waited until the next morning to share the good news with everyone. Like everything in her life, her miracle wasn't what she had expected it to be. Tanaka was subdued, curious, but otherwise no trouble at all. However, he refused to speak to her, or anyone for the matter. Always the extravagant type, she never thought she would see a day where Gundam wouldn't even speak out in his defense.

"So Snow White, enjoy your nap?" Souda teased, trying to get a rise out of the disheveled boy. "What's with the sheet around ya', it's like ninety degrees outside." Hinata had advised against introducing Gundam to the group so soon. Peko had taken two weeks to recover from the Neo World, and Gundam was still having issues with mobility. Yet Sonia insisted it would be better for him to get to know the group as a whole first, so integration would be an easier process.

"Kazuichi-kun that's enough!" Sonia snapped. "I apologize Tanaka-kun, he often gets a little carried away." It was Sonia's idea to encourage Gundam to share meals with them. Even if he was a part of Ultamite Despair, it was imperative for him to see they meant him no harm. She felt a little silly using the tricks he taught her about taming wild animals, but it was a sure fire way to get their intentions across to the new comer in a none threatening way.

"So what, did you cut out your tongue or something?" Akane asked, intruding into Gundam's personal space. Gundam shook his head 'no' and retreated further into the sheet.

"Owari, I'm pretty sure doing that would make you bleed out." Kuzuryuu remarked.

"Needless to say," Hinata amended, "we're all glad that you were feeling well enough to join us Tanaka-san. We have information on what happened to us, yourself included. So there will be a discrepancy between what you know and what we remember. If you have any questions, you can ask any of us, or you could write them out I suppose." He amended.

"Not on the file," Kuzuryuu added, "we've only got the one right now and eight other people still have to read it."

"Kazuichi-kun and I were also thinking of going to the first beach for some swimming later today. You're welcome to join us, if you feel up to it." Tanaka took the file from Hinata and pulled it into his cloth cocoon. He didn't know how to deal with all these people paying attention to him. Without anyone's permission, he took his food and retreated to his room.

"I don't know which was worse, the Shakespearian nonsense or the cold shoulder." Souda sighed.

"He'll be fine." Sonia argued. "He just needs a little time to adjust."

-o-

The island's lock down ended up working in Peko's favor. Granted, it would be for an indeterminate amount of time, but for now she didn't have to worry. No one would question her reluctance to return to Japan and her needs would be provided for. It was who she was trapped with that was the problem. She sat in the examination room. Her former master flipped through the charts, obviously agitated. After avoiding breakfast, Hinata approached her, saying she would have to explain the documentation situation to anyone who was inconvenienced by her actions.

"I'm sorry if my actions inconvenienced you in anyway. Where is Owari-san?" Peko asked, her limbs ridged.

"What does that have to do with anything?" A little thrown, Kuzuryuu gestured casually. "Unless, is this like about a 'girl thing'? Cause if so, I think Sonia would be the better person to talk to."

"No," Peko deigned, "I do not need to talk to either of the girls."

"Then why did you destroy the charts!?" He demanded. "That file you shredded had your care plan in it!"

"I know very well what was inside and I am capable of handling the situation on my own." Peko argued. "This may come as a shock to you, but some of us would like to maintain some basic human dignity."

"I get that you can handle the situation Peko, you're not an idiot. I just want to help you." Kuzuryuu buried his head in his hands. "You don't have to do this alone."

"Why?" Peko asked.

"What do you mean why? Nobody should get stuck handling everything on their own. Jesus Christ Peko, what reason would I have to give you for you to let me help you? Cause there are fourteen years worth of reasons that the Neo World and Junko didn't fuck up, take your pick." Kuzuryuu leaned back in the office chair.

"You acknowledge that I am not the person from the simulation," Peko reasoned, "and you think our shared childhood is enough to mend that gap?"

"Of course I know you're not the same person. I just fucking watched her walk away and didn't do shit until it was too late." He still grieved over the loss. Though technically fake, it still haunted him like a prophetic nightmare. "I sure as hell won't let that happened again." Peko sat with her head bowed, taking steady breaths.

"Then why are you here with me, instead of out there with your friends?"

"Because this isn't about them, this is about you!" He implored. "Just tell me, why did you shred the documents?"

"I can't." She sighed. "Not right now. Not like this. I'm sorry." She slowly rose from the table and left. If Junko were still alive, she surely would be disappointed by the hope that welled up in her chest.

-o-

Everyone except Tanaka gathered in the cafeteria for dinner. It seemed the breeder had gone back to sleep. The group was a little concerned, but the charts said it was too be expected. Akane burst through the double doors as everyone sat at the table.

"It's good to be hungry again!" Akane cheered. "Finally I'll be able to eat more than 'small portions'." She quoted with her fingers.

"I don't think that's a good idea, you could make yourself sick." Kuzuryuu interjected. "You still have two weeks of protein blends and salad."

"Well the doctor isn't here." Akane said as she heaped food onto her plate. "You don't have to worry, I know my limits, mom."

"The fuck? I'm not your mom?" Fuyuhiko frowned

"You're a total mom." Hinata snickered.

"Hinata!" Kuzuryuu gapped.

"I believe it was you who reminded us we were too young to drink or drive." Sonia speculated.

"He just said that because he couldn't reach the peddles, even if he wanted to." Souda joked.

"Hey, my legs are long enough to kick your ass without standing up." He kicked Souda's chair, nearly toppling the mechanic over. "So don't go starting shit you don't want to finish."

"I hate to interrupt," Peko cleared her throat, "but it appears that something ate this fruit before we could." She carefully set down her grape that had an evident hole in it.

"Shit!" Sonia cursed. "I'm so sorry. All of the fresh rations we are given are castoffs from the other island. I inspected everything thoroughly a few days ago," She collected the contaminated goods from the table. "I guess I missed a few."

"Here, let me help you with that." Souda began.

"No!" Sonia snapped. "I-I mean no thank you." She hurried off to the kitchen with the spoiled food.

"I should get back to fixing the electricity in the new cottages so we won't have to share later." Souda mumbled. "I'll see you guys later."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, the food's fine." Akane shrugged.

"Do you guys want to go swimming later?" Hinata asked.

"I'm good." Kuzuryuu declined.

"I will have to decline as well." Peko said holding her stomach.

"Hell ya!" Akane grinned. "We can go 'swimming'." She said with a wink.

"I mean actual swimming." Hinata clarified blandly.

"Right~" Akane winked again.

"Seriously, swimming not sparring." Hinata reiterated. Akane went to get seconds.

"Whatever you say Hinata." She shrugged. When she entered the kitchen, she was startled to find Sonia sitting on the floor.

"Oh, Owari-san, did you need something?" She asked, a little embarrassed. "I'm just... waiting for my tea." Akane set her plate on the counter slowly.

"I'm just here for seconds." She crouched down to Sonia's level. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, really." Sonia sighed. It occurred to Akane, that Sonia probably didn't have problems with necessities before.

"Alright, Hanamura's going to hate me for this," Akane began, "but food isn't bad unless it makes you sick. If you freeze stuff like fruit, is will last longer." She then pulled a wilted head of lettuce out of the garbage. "And stuff like this is fine as long as you don't eat the outer layers." As she went through her shtick, Sonia stood to join her at the counter. "Expiration dates are just suggestions; if it smells fine, you can eat it. Eggs are good if the white isn't cloudy, and stale bread tastes fine when toasted." Sonia nodded and followed Akane's advice as they worked together in the kitchen. She would be able to leave the kitchen with tea, and a little less stress.

-o-

 _It was drizzling outside and this was a new suit damn it! Kuzuryuu noted that this section of town was probably crap before the despair incident, anarchy had done little to help the situation. He needed to get Junko's eye to Tsumiki as soon as possible. The only reason he was waiting outside, was his partner of sorts insisted on finding her family first. To be fair, they were the reason she got dragged into this mess. What kind of dead beat racks up a gambling debt and uses their step daughter as payment? Though Kuzuryuu shouldn't still find this shocking, after all, they were in the freaking apocalypse. With Junko gone, the Remnants of Despair went ballistic, each crawling to whatever comfort they could find during the shit storm. Not that he was able to find his._

 _"Owari!" He shouted. "What the hell is taking so long?" The sound of rapid gunfire ran through the empty street. "Shit! Owari!" He pulled out a magnum and kicked down the door._

 _Akane stood with the gun she hated aimed clumsily at the open window. The smell of blood was heavy in the air. Her siblings lay on the floor, fatal gashes along their backs._

 _"I-I tried to check for a pulse." She trembled. Her red hands still gripped the gun. "But they were all- And then I saw it. Some fucking ninja or something was in the house." She couldn't take it anymore. She threw the gun at her feet. "Damn it what am I going to do now?"_

 _"At least you found the bodies." Fuyuhiko sighed. "Now you can do whatever the hell you want. Meanwhile, the Future Foundation is hunting down anyone from Hope's Peak. So if you want to live, I suggest you leave." He stepped outside and waited a bit. Ten seconds, just like every other time he had to wait up on the odd gymnast. Then thirty minutes went by, he was about to call he name when he saw her standing in the doorway._

 _"What are you waiting for?" She asked, gun back in her hand._

 _"I don't know, maybe for you to wash your fucking hands. You look disgusting." He took a swig from a silver flask._

 _"I'm out of bullets." Akane whispered. He choked on his drink._

 _"What do you expect me to-" He saw a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye. Someone was climbing the wall. "Freeze! By order of the Secret Police!" He shouted at the figure standing on the wall. In the shrouded moon light, he could make out silver braids and a stained sword. She had no plans of stopping. "I said freeze!"_

 _He shot the sword's woman in the shoulder. Biting back a scream, she stumbled over the roof tops and out of sight._

 _"You're not getting away this time Peko!" He growled._

Kuzuryuu sat up in his bed in a cold sweat. He had previously hadn't had a nightmare since waking from the Neo World. His gaze drifted to the window, red eyes stared back at him through the glass.

"Jesus!" He half shrieked as he fell out of bed. What was Tanaka doing outside his window? The breeder made no move acknowledge him. Just wandered away in search of a different window. "The fuck?" Fuyuhiko groaned into his hands. It was 2:45 in the morning.

-o-

At breakfast, Kuzuryuu expressed his displeasure with the way things were going.

"We need to do something about Tanaka." Fuyuhiko sighed.

"Can we talk about, literally, anything else." Souda groaned. "Like, Rocket Punch has lava lamps, pretty cool right?" He threw up his hands when Fuyuhiko continued.

"I saw him outside my bedroom at 3 in the fucking morning. Like I don't have nightmares already. If he's sleeping now, he'll probably be wandering around again tonight."

"He was just lost." Sonia sighed. "I informed him earlier there would be a cottage prepared for him, he was just trying to find it."

"Did he tell you that himself?" Peko asked.

"Well, no." Sonia poked at her food. "However, it was apparent that he was disoriented. That much is clear."

"Even so, Kuzuryuu-kun is right," Hinata relented, "we can't have someone who just woke up wandering around alone at night."

"The dude doesn't even talk," Akane shrugged, "I don't see what the big deal is."

"It isn't a big deal." Sonia insisted. "Everyone adjusts at their own pace."

"We don't have a lot of time to let people go at their own pace." Hinata argued. "I agree, Tanaka-san doesn't seem to be a threat, but we need to make sure he is at least be under observation before we can wake anybody else up."

"Dangerous or not, wandering like that is creepy as hell." Fuyuhiko shook his head.

"I cannot believe you." Sonia admonished. "You will never get anywhere if you don't at least try to understand everyone as they are now. So what if he's a little different? That's why I-"

"Look who's up." Akane interrupted. Sonia slowly to see Tanaka standing in the doorway.

"Tanaka-san." Sonia flushed. He awkwardly shuffled to the kitchen for breakfast. After some hesitation, he left for his room with food in hand. "Tanaka-san wait!" She ran off after him.

"Ugh," Souda moaned, "how much of that do you think he heard?" He and Hinata shuddered to think of the damage control.

"Perhaps, if he was given duties during the day," Peko suggested, "he would be more inclined to remain active during the day." She pushed away what remained of her breakfast. Akane took it immediately.

"That's a good idea." Hinata agreed. "We could use the help cleaning up around here." He wrinkled his nose at the leaves on the floor of the cafeteria.

"So, lava lamps. What's that about, am I right?" Akane said grinned.


	6. Chapter 6

Peko stared at Kuzuryuu's unopened letter on her night stand. She didn't know what she'd expect to find. Opening that envelope was a death sentence, an invitation to throw herself back into a cycle she left behind. Why even bother keeping it? It was written before they reunited, directed toward a stranger who shared her face.

Still, it sat on her table. Now, when she was deemed safe enough to have her own cottage, she had to decide what would go with her. Sonia's letter of encouragement, though brief, sat on top of her belongings. It would be rude to throw away his letter without opening it first. This was a horrible idea. Why even tempt fate? Her weakness always seemed to be her downfall.

 **They won't let me in to see you, what kind of bull shit is that? I'm doing alright though, think we both scared the shit out of the Future Foundation.**

 **How are you doing? Stupid question, I guess, but you were really freaked when you woke up.**

 **I didn't mean to scare you. I meant what I said though. I won't let any of those bastards lay a finger on you. I don't know if I've said this before, probably didn't. You are important to me. I never thanked you enough before for being there for me and, well, existing I guess. If there's anything I've learned, it's that life is shit without you in it. So don't go anywhere. I'll be there as soon as I can.**

 **I don't know if they'll let you write back or not. So, if you can, go for it.**

 **See you soon,**

 **Kuzuryuu, Fuyuhiko**

Peko read threw the note a second time, noting that 'important to me' seemed to have been several other phrases, before Kuzuryuu settled on that one. The sentiment was sweet and confusing.

She felt queasy again.

~v~

The entire waking group was gathered in the third floor meeting room. A list of names was written on the white board on the far left wall. The first three names had been crossed out.

"Kuzuryuu has administered adrenaline shots to Togami-san and Hanamura-san." Hinata opened the meeting. "It could take anywhere from twelve to fourty-eight hours for them to wake up. We'll need to figure out who will take watch and when."

"I would be willing to take the day shift." Sonia offered. "I assume either Tanaka-san or Pekoyama-san would be accompanying me."

"Me too." Akane jumped in. "I get a little loopy if I don't get my 10 hours."

"Then I shall take part during the night shift." Peko motioned. "I could also take care of the laundry." She pointed to the chart with their names and assigned tasks.

"Right," Hinata agreed, "we kinda let the place go after everyone left. It'll be easier once more people are with us. So Fuyuhiko and I can work on the night shift I suppose."

"And I'll keep working on the cottages." Souda supplied. "Some boob put an adaptor in backwards, so half the cottages are without power. I'll try to keep the noise down to a minimum."

"Then we use meals as a shift change." Fuyuhiko suggested. "Everyone shows up for breakfast and dinner." Everyone nodded in agreement. Gundam stood and marked the chores he was willing to do.

"Food preparation?" Sonia asked. "Why Tanaka-san, I had no idea you could cook." Without a yes or no question to answer, he offered a noncommittal shrug. "If possible, I would love to assist." He had a terrified, far off look in his eye.

"Better Sonia then Akane." Kuzuryuu sighed. "Akane'd just eat everything in sight."

"Speaking of eating everything in sight," Akane realized, "what are we going to do about Togami? I can't imagine a guy like that would take kindly to being told we're on rations." There was a long pause within the group.

"Sonia-san, Owari-san; renegotiate with the third island. Souda-san, Tanaka-san; see what natural resources we have. The rest of us will have to search Rocket Punch for canned goods!" Hinata said in a hurry. Startled to see their hosts in a panic for the first time, the Remnants of Despair followed the orders they were given.

~v~

The dining room was finally back to a semblance of what it used to be. Sonia whipped her brow with the back of her hand. A stirring in her pocket alerted her that her familiar was hungry. She went into the kitchen and found it to be empty. Tanaka had confirmed he would prepare lunch. Yet no one was there. A good deal of the provisions had been taken.

"Owari-san!" Sonia called. She ran to the first island. "Owari-san!?" She found Akane by the pool.

"Woah, did they wake up already?" Akane asked.

"Did you take food from the kitchen?" Sonia panted.

"No," Akane shrugged, "why?"

"I can't find Tanaka-san." Sonia explained. Smoke started to billow from the upper floor of the hotel. "No..." She and Akane ran up the stairs to the dining hall. Smoke poured out of the kitchen along with the sound of running water. Akane kicked in the door.

Gundam held his hand under the sink, a smoldering tray sat next to him. The counter was covered with simple, prepared dishes. A quick survey of the situation was all Akane needed.

"You put wax paper in the oven, didn't you?" She said wryly. Gundam didn't answer, but his head ducked below his shoulder.

"It's an easy mistake to make." Sonia supplied as she inspected the burnt tray. "I nearly did the same thing when we made treats with Koizumi-san." Akane stared at the dining hall. It was clear no one had touched the place in months. Barren and void of life, she found herself focused on the place Hiyoko's alter should have been.

"It's not the same." She commented. "The drapes aren't the right color, and we don't even have the photos to rebuild the memorial." All personal affects had been taken from them before they came to the island. "We can't just leave it like this."

"You're right." Sonia agreed. "This place is our home. We'll just have to take new pictures." She turned back to Tanaka. "Is your hand okay?" Gundam nodded.

"I'm going to tell Souda that lunch'll be ready soon." Akane informed as she took an armful of the offending drapes. Sonia jumped and reached into her pocket.

"Sorry, I forgot your apple slice didn't I?" She pulled the robo dwarf from his home and set him on the counter. Gundam approached the counter slowly, unable to believe his eyes.

"The apprentice?" He whispered in disbelief. Sonia nearly dropped her butter knife. It was the first time she had heard his voice in the real world. She turned slowly toward him.

"Is he one of yours?" She asked quietly. Gundam jolted; had the really been out loud. "He is, isn't he? It's the only reason I could imagine a hamster would be loose on the island." The hamster's back was reminiscent of a raurshock painting, warped but without clear spots. Gundam faltered. He had unwittingly broke his vow of silence, but if he took it back up he would never get answers. After weighing his options, he finally spoke.

"I... I have not laid eyes on this creature for over a year." He confessed. "I thought she had been destroyed with the others. Someone else must have brought her to this place."

"Do you want to hold hi- her?" Sonia asked.

"You trust me with this creature?" Gundam asked.

"Of course." She wanted to ask why wouldn't she, but she knew the answer. Seeing him coddle her pet so gently brought up more questions. "There have been many allegations against you and your followers... They aren't true, are they." It was more of a statement then a question. "You wouldn't authorize mass breeding in your kingdom."

"I didn't." He said softly. "My followers lost faith in me when I used alchemy to make this creature. They went rouge, and dragged my reputation into the darkness with them. Soldiers of light found out about their misdeeds and irradiated my empire. All but this one." He offered the rodent an apple slice. "All atrocities committed afterward were my own. Vengeance was swift and my silence bought protection from Lady Junko."

"She's gone now," Sonia clarified, "however, we are safe here. We have made new friends who offer us protection. Once everyone's awake, we'll be free to leave."

"There is a matter of concern I wish to clarify, one that brings ruin to your promise of sanctuary." He set the hamster down. "There is a night walker among you. A demonic creature who sees into another dimension. They pose a threat to the others and themselves."

"I'll discuss it with the others." Sonia suggested. "I'm sure Hinata will want to look into it. If somebody else is wandering around at night, I'm sure we'll find them." She paused.

"I didn't mean to trouble you." Gundam offered in bland consolation.

"It's not that, it's just... I'm really glad I can talk to you." She beamed. What an odd maiden indeed, to be so readily accepting. Her willingness to believe in him made her a viable pawn. "I'm sure Chimera-chan would agree."

"Yo, we're back!" Akane grinned. "You didn't burn anything else down while I was gone, did you?" Once more Gundam clammed up. While he was willing to converse with someone who shared his affinity with animals, he was still uncomfortable around the others.

~v~

Souda had insisted he could fix the electrical problem on his own. Hinata lay in bed, trying to get some rest before his first night shift. It seemed to Hinata that everyone was slowly finding their nitch of a social group, a few choice people they talked to the most. He was glad to be an honorary member of each clique, but it wasn't the same. Life on this island was unregulated. There were no announcements or handbooks to follow. Without the program, he felt lost.

It was heart breaking to circle the Neo World room and not find Chiaki's resting form. Logically, it wouldn't be there, but that didn't stop him from looking. Chiaki had been one of the few people he could talk to without the pressure to conform. She didn't need him to be strong like the others did, so he didn't bother pretending. Now she was gone. Even her program file was deleted when the Neo World shut down. The only other person he let his guard down around; well, it was safe to say he wouldn't be the same person when he woke up.

There were so many things that still bothered him about the Neo World and the virus. Looking into it while other people were still hooked up, was too much of a risk. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. There was also the issue of his eyes. Since waking up, they remained a blood red, a side effect of the lobotomy. However, he was thinking and feeling like the Hinata Hajime from the Neo World. Was he really cured? Or was Izuru Kamukura using his Ultamite Liar talent on himself to make everything seem okay.

He groaned, his head hurting again. He didn't feel right. He didn't feel clean anymore. The nightmares hadn't stopped, and unfortunately, never seemed to be the same dream twice. But that wasn't important right now. As he showered again for the sixth time that week, he reminded himself of the time limit. Everyone needed to awake within two months to avoid serious brain trauma. His problems could wait, his problems could go away. It didn't matter what happened in the past.

He needed to keep his eyes set on the future.

~v~

Lactose intolerance does not get better with age. It gets worse. Fuyuhiko finds it to be totally unfair that he can no longer stomach ice cream. For it is because of this, that he finds himself doubled over in pain.

"Go back to your cottage." Hinata sighed for the sixth time.

"Hell no." Fuyuhiko groaned on the break room couch. "I spent all day fucking up my sleep schedule for this."

"Honestly, I got things covered." Hinata insisted. "You're not looking too good."

"You look like shit too." Fuyuhiko hissed as he clutched his stomach. "You don't hear me hounding you to go back to bed. I'm staying here and helping you keep watch."

"And exactly what kind of help can you be doubled over on the couch?" Hinata countered. "I'll come and get you if something happens, I swear."

"Fine!" Fuyuhiko groaned. "But the minute I feel better, I'm coming back." He pulled himself off the couch and shuffled toward the first island. Whose dumb idea was it to have ice cream for 'breakfast' in the first place?

The iridescent moon still hung in the sky as Fuyuhiko made it to the string of cottages. He felt like shit and the grounds were a little eerie at night. There was little comfort in knowing that Hinata was the only thing keeping Tanaka from wandering around at night. Truth be told, he wasn't as sure as the others that the breeder was still altogether in the head. The Remnant of Despair had done some fucked up stuff, he was just fortunate enough to have forgotten it. However, it would be hypocritical to defend Peko and not give the others a chance.

As he looked over the board walk, he noticed something was off. Souda had insisted that everyone kept their windows and doors shut tight until the construction was over. Akane's window was wide open.

Against his better judgment, Fuyuhiko crossed over to the girl's side of the resort. There was nothing creepy about closing a window. Just peaking through them was wrong. The tropical winds ran through the resort. It pulled at the sheer curtains and Fuyuhiko could plainly see another figure was in her room.

He ran.

All things considered, he made it to her cottage in record time. A little uneven, but otherwise coordinated, Fuyuhiko pushed whoever it was away from Akane's bed. Something hit him as the perpetrator was shoved to the floor.

"Shit!" Whatever it was, scratched up his shoulder. He pushed himself up, still partially out the window. A sharpened plastic pole clattered to the floor. Akane was still asleep through the madness. Looking up from the weapon, Fuyuhiko let a more creative curse slip.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded. Peko, clad in her pajamas, used his confusion to lunge for the exit. "Peko, the fuck!" He took the weapon with him and scrambled back out the window. "No, no, no! You're not doing this to me Peko, not again! For fucks sake, just fucking look at me!" He faltered as the moon light hit her back. A mottled scar decorated her right shoulder and claimed the head of her dragon tattoo. She hesitated. "Peko, Jesus Christ what do you want me to do?" He was in pain, he was panicked, and he didn't remember when he dropped the tube.

What was he supposed to do with her? What would the others do to her if they found out. This had to be some kind of misunderstanding. They just needed some time.

"Kuzuryuu-kun!" Hinata shouted as he ran down the board walk. "Togami-kun an Hanamaru-kun are waking up."

"FUCK!" Kuzuryuu shouted.

 **AN: As of right now, the story is going on hiatus. I haven't lost interest in the story, I just cannot balance school and two ongoing stories at the same time. I will probably start updating again in 3 months.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Kuzuryuu-kun, what's wrong?" Hinata asked, startled by his companion's sudden outburst. A distant rumble cut through the silence.

Fuyuhiko knew that Peko still posed a threat to the group. The new arrivals could be just as volatile. He stumbled over his next words.

"I promise I'll let you know later. Right now, you go find Kazuichi and let him know what's going on, Peko and I will join you as soon as we can." He didn't wait for Hinata to respond and ran in the direction Peko went.

It was surprising how easily he was able to catch up to her. Though the sight of her gasping with her hands on her knees was cause for alarm.

"Peko, what the hell!?" He ran up to her. "What were you doing? Why were you trying to kill her?''

"I shouldn't have been able to!" Peko hissed. "I shouldn't have even been able to get into the room." She gasped. "Even with the mindset of a child, the least she could have done was wake up. We were about this age..." She trailed off between gasp. "All of that sacrifice, the days of grueling training and my entire life's work is replaced with that thing!?" She felt ill to her stomach again. As it was, she could barely breath.

"You're not making any sense again!" Fuyuhiko exclaimed. "Replaced by what, when the hell would you get replaced?"

"When the Kuzyruu clan threw me~" She tapered off, barely catching herself in time. She felt his hand on her scarred shoulder.

"Damn it Peko, would you just tell me what's going on?" The wind was picking up, causing a shiver to run down her back. She tried to keep her breathing steady.

"Is that an order?" She asked slowly.

"I-" Kuzuryuu faltered. What was he supposed to say to that? "I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do, but you can't keep doing things like this. I can't go through another trial." She stood slowly.

"During school, I became... emotionally involved in my duties. The family saw it as a threat. They threw me out. We had not spoken since." Her words were torrid. "Last I heard, the Kuzuryuu clan picked Owari as your new body guard. To add insult to injury, she can't even protect herself, let alone you."

"Peko... I should have never let that happen-" Kuzuryuu began.

"You don't have to apologize. If you could have done something, you would have. Not that I will never know for sure." She had regained her composure, standing in the frigid night air. She had finally accepted the master she remember was gone.

"It's not like that anymore." Kuzuryuu argued. They had a place to stay, and the ability to make their own choices. He just had to help her make the right ones.

"You're right." She said with a smile he hadn't seen in months. "I am free to take back my role."

"Woah, what?" He exclaimed.

"That is what you wanted, correct? For things to go back to the way they were. It's why you insist on move forward toward 'the future' instead of recovering your lost memories." Peko persisted.

"That is not what I meant Peko!" He crossed his arms with a fervent shake of his head. "I don't need a fucking tool."

"Are you so sure?" Peko asked. "Considering three of the murders from your little game are waking up as the Remnants of Despair, you have a lot of faith that no one will try to hurt you in order to escape." She had a point. There was no telling what the other were capable of. Even if killing someone wouldn't lift the lockdown, Peko had proven that was not how the Remnants of Despair thought.

"I can take care of myself!" These were his friends, he knew how they thought. Well, most of them. He hadn't exactly started talking to the others until Peko died.

"That may be true, but whether you have considered it or not, you have regressed to a younger state of mind. If your group continues to grow at this rate, you will be outnumbered by the end of the week." His stomach roared in pain. "I can keep you safe until we get off the island. All I'm asking of you, is to trust me." Shit! He hated being backed into a corner like this. In the end, it would be easier to keep an eye on her if she wanted to be around him.

"On one condition," he grunted, "you can't kill anyone. No mortal injuries, or plotting, or shit like that. Got it."

"Naturally. I wouldn't think of doing anything you hadn't ordered." She nodded solemnly. "Do you need help getting back to your cottage?" She had a personal duty to make sure this awkward man survived the coming weeks, even if he did choose to forget her. After all, wasn't this what she'd been fighting for this whole time. To be able to live by his side again?

"No damn it, did you hear Hinata? Two more people just woke up. We need to get over there and help." She couldn't help but laugh as he stiffly walked back to the center island.

~v~

The normally silent halls of the Future Foundation's head quarters were abuzz with the chirping of machines. Fuyuhiko had shuffled to the conference room to communicate with the doctors on the other island. Souda was waiting with Togami to wake up, which left Hinata with Teruteru.

"If you take one step closer, you'll be at the business end of a haggis." Teruteru hissed through his Southern twang. His breathing was slow and labored as he eased the bed into a sitting position.

"I know this must be confusing for you." Hinata began carefully from the doorway. "But that's no reason to be hostile. My name is Hinata, and I-"

"I know who you are." Teruteru coughed. "Or at least, I have a pretty good idea. Dead red eyes and no rack, you're probably Junko's toy. After all, you haven't tried to kiss my ass yet, so I doubt you give a shit about me. Either way, I don't want your crazy ass near me." Teruteru sunk into the pillows, his face the same complexion as the sterile sheets.

"My eyes look dead to you?" Hinata exclaimed. Teruteru closed his eyes and gave an affirmative grunt. Hinata shook his head. "Regardless, we have a packet of information on what has happened to you. You can look it over whenever you're feeling better." Teruteru chuckled at this. "If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. There are a few people on the island that can help you."

"Sure, I have a question." Teruteru sighed. "What's your angle?"

"Excuse me?" Hinata faltered.

"I mean, why are you trying to help me?" Teruteru turned his head to look at Hinata. "Because I'd rather skip the bullshit and cut to the chase."

"Well, I'm wanting to gain your trust again, as a friend. Once everyone's awake we can work together to get off this island." Hinata explained. He hadn't expected the first meeting to go over well. It was especially difficult for him to keep the conversation pleasant while looking at the person who started the killings. However, seeing the person he became, it wasn't difficult to imagine him as a killer.

"Then your screwed I guess, because doctor says I can't work." Teruteru sneered. "And I'm not sure who 'everyone' is, but chances are they do not want to see me."

"Look, I understand you're reluctant." Hinata said. "We are a bunch of strangers stuck here together, but if we try to mend the gap, we can move forward from despair."

"Reluctant? Reluctant? No, I'm being realistic." Teruteru hissed. "I'd love to get out of this bed and 'work together', probably kick your ass while I'm at it. But we all need to be a little more realistic with our goals Kamukura-san. My nerves have gone to shit and it will take a long time before they give up on me. So if it's work your expecting out of me, then you've set your expectations too high. Not everyone can make a royal flush with a shit hand. We can't all be that lucky."

"Don't say that." Hinata snapped. "I'm here because of the choices I made, same as everyone else here. _Luck_ had nothing to do with it. Now we can either find a way to coexist or wallow in self pity. I'd prefer the first."

"You're different then I imagined," Teruteru muttered, "I'm not sure if that's a good thing." He sighed. "How do I call the nurse?"

"Do you want help?" Hinata asked through gritted teeth.

"I may need it later. Whatever those fuckers did to me wiped me out." Teruteru groaned.

"There's a call light on the bed rail. Just press it and one of us will come running. We don't have any medical staff on hand at the moment."

"Perfect." Teruteru rolled his eyes. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll try to gather my strength while I can. It looks like I'm going to need it."

Hinata left the room as calmly as he could. His head hurt and some of the things Teruteru said hit a little too close to home. Being realistic was one of the only thing his parents ever asked of him. Of course, the subject only came up when he mentioned high school. Two part-time jobs, cram school on the weekends, and all of it to be able to call himself a student at Hope's Peak Acadamy. The number of people who tried to talk him out of it were staggering. None of them friends, but the subtle pitying disapproval was stifling. When he finally got that letter, all anyone could say was, 'you got lucky kid.' He wasn't lucky, far from it, the person who was lucky was-

Pain, like a knife, ran through his forehead and down to his neck. He didn't want to remember, he had to move forward. He was finally Hajime Hinata again, and he wasn't going to let anything take that away from him. The headache would eventually stop, they always did. He could keep himself busy for a couple more hours to avoid the nightmares.

~v~

Kazuichi sat at Togami's bedside. Well, their Togami anyway. The self proclaimed progeny had been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past hour. After the initial scare, Kazuichi became accustomed to the intermittent babbling.

"I'll be honest," Kazuichi sighed, "I'm really glad you're coming back. Being a leader, it's not as easy as it looks, you know? I don't know how you managed to do it." He took off his hat and ran his good hand through his hair. "But, whatever it was, it wasn't because of who you said you were, it was you. Trust me, I met the real guy, and he's a dick. Not you though." He leaned back in his chair. "There's just so much going on, and I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. It's not like anyone really relied on me before, but they listened. Now I feel like I have to work my ass off to prove I'm still useful." Togami had fallen back into a fit-ful slumber. "G'night big guy." Kazuchi said as he stood up. He left the room, not thinking twice about leaving the door unlocked. After all, someone would be there again soon.

~v~

Being awake in the morning was strange for Gundam. He watched the sparkling waves crash against the beach. Subtlety was never one of his strong suits, but he had hoped to keep a low profile while on the island. Now there was a laugh, he actually hoped for something. What would Lady Junko say?

"There you are!" Sonia breathed as she ran up the coastline. "You practically disappeared after breakfast."

"I was enjoying a respite from omnipotent eyes." He muttered.

"I asked about the night walker. Hinata-kun said he didn't see anyone wandering around last night. We'll still keep an eye out, but Kuzuryuu-kun seemed pretty sure it was a onetime thing." She plopped down in the sand next to him. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more. Things have been getting hectic around here lately." Her laugh mirrored the chirping tropical birds. A gentle breeze played at the water's edge as they sat in silence. "Back in Novoselic the birds would mimic machine sounds, like gunshots. Not quite the same as this."

"So, you do not hail from Japan?" Gundam asked. The princess smiled sadly.

"I'm from a small European country off the Atlantic. It was beautiful in its own right. The parts my parents preserved especially. We had this Siberian Tiger for a while and horses too that would run around the gardens. She ended up getting relocated after she attacked one of the horses. After all, she was taken from her home. Poor thing ended up in a prison guarded by soulless trolls." She said, quoting the phrase Gundam had used to describe zoos.

"You've told me this before." Gundam ventured.

"Yes, but I will tell it as many times as is needed." Sonia shrugged.

"Why are you doing this?" Gundam asked, his gaze trained on the shoreline. Sonia turned to him.

"I want to hang out with my friend, is that so perplexing?" Sonia asked.

"Even in your elaborate illusion, I still managed to take a life." He sighed. "I studied the tome you bestowed upon me." It had explained nothing about the people he found himself trapped with, or how they could be so forgiving. The only conclusion he could come to, was ignorance.

"That file only summarized the events." Sonia argued. "What happened to us wasn't fair to anyone. If you hadn't done something, we all would have starved to death. You saved everyone you could and then drew out the trial as long as possible..." She hugged her knees to her chest. "Nidai-san didn't even look human. It wasn't the same as the others."

"Owari-san doesn't seem to think so." Gundam disagreed. "She's spoke fondly of him to me. I'm not sure if she is seeking an apology or taking comfort in your false past."

"Do you feel like you should apologize?" Sonia asked.

"I'm not certain what you mortals expect of me. Being celebrated for my existence is not a comfortable experience." Chimera crawled out of Sonia's pocket and burrowed in the sand.

"I know the feeling." Sonia sighed. "If it makes any difference. I was quite angry with you for a while as well. One minute we were promising to get off this island together, the next you were gone. When you're the person left behind, there are a lot of pieces to pick up. I'm just glad we got the chance to meet each other again." Gundam instantly felt the urge to pull up his scarf. The sheet he was draped in did not have the same effect.

"If you continue to let her burrow, you'll lose her." Gundam said. He carefully retrieved the hamster from the sand, trying to ignore the itching anxiety from caused by her gaze. "You should take better care of your vassal She-Cat." Suddenly Sonia erupted into laughter. It was good-natured, but the sudden outburst from the blond set him on edge. He turned away from her, and focused on the hamster's hygiene.

"I'm sorry." She said through staggered breath. "I just thought that I'd never get to hear you call me that again."

From further down the shoreline a stout blonde chuckled.

"So the little beast master finally open his yap." Togami said in a feminine voice. "I wonder what it will take to crush that hope of his."


	8. Chapter 8

Akane circled the island for the third time, meeting up with Kazuichi on the first beach. He wheezed at her for a good five minutes which made her feel better about being winded.

"Please tell me you've found him." Kazuichi gasped.

"Not a trace." Akane huffed. "Is it okay to go get the others yet?"

"No!" Kazuichi shrieked. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what Hinata will do to me if he finds out I forgot to lock the door? He'll be pissed. and when he's pissed, I swear those freaky eyes of his glow." He shuddered. "I promised Hinata I'd take care of this. Besides, I don't think he's getting much sleep."

"The nightmares." Akane aknowledged.

"I've had them off and on, but I swear he's been getting them every night." He stood up straight.

"Well Sonia's still hanging out with Gundam on the beach." Akane sighed. "If I run by them again, they're going to start asking questions."

"Argh, fine!" Kazuichi groaned. "We tell Miss Sonia and Cinderella what's going on, and then we find Togami, before Hinata wakes up." Akane gave a thumbs up and ran back the way she came.

She wasn't sure what to make of their situation anymore. Especially with everyone refusing to look at the case files they had been given. The despair incident happened, it sucked, but acting like these people were still their friends seemed a little naive. Granted, she was up for the challenge, but she wasn't so sure about the others. They could play psychologist all they wanted, at the end of the day they were trapped on an island with convicted murders.

~v~

When Gundam heard Byakuya Togami had gone missing, his first thought wasn't to search the island. He was still reeling from the conversation he had with Sonia. Quite frankly he was hiding from the chaos under the guise of feed preparation.

"Upupupupu!" A nasally voice chortled. "Well if it isn't the big hero back from saving the day." A stout figure peeled away from the shadows. "Oh, you can spare me the silent treatment. I know you broke our deal."

"I made no pact with you charlatan." Gundam argued. "Lady Junko was claimed by the maw of Hades." He had his back to the imposter and the voice was uncanny. No disguise could fool him, he'd seen her die before his very eyes.

"Yes, well, I could have picked a better body to make my splashing reunion tour, but this was all that was open." The new Junko shrugged.

"You expect me to believe you transcended death so easily."

"Hmm... That's for you to decide." She said, stepping into his personal space. "However, do know that I am gravely disappointed in your performance thus far." She hissed. "Some evil emperor, a queen from a rival land practically hands you her head on a platter and you make goo-goo eyes at her. How horrendously cliché." He whipped around to come face to face with an eerily familiar face. "Luckily for me, I have the upper hand. You see, if they realize I'm, well, me." She giggled. "They're going to think that you're me too. And everyone else for that matter. We'd never get out of. They might." She shrugged. "But I doubt Princess Peach would be able to take you a long."

"What is it you ask of me my lady?" Gundam asked with his head bowed.

"That's better." Junko purred. "I need an extra set of eyes if we ever won't to get off his rock. Word on the beach is someone's prime for relapsing. I want you to find out who it is..." She ordered. "So I can pull the final thread and send the spiraling."

~v~

 _Akane was a much better bodyguard than Fuyuhiko had initially surmised. To say she followed without question would undermine the sheer lengths of time she spent talking, but follow nonetheless she did. In the back of his mind he wondered what possessed her to continue to follow him through the despair incident. Her original employers were long dead and he no longer had any money to offer her. They now sat in the lounge of Junko's base of operations. Akane jumped back and forth shadow boxing while Fuyuhiko mindlessly sipped at his flask._

 _"So..." Akane prompted between punches, "what was it you came to Junko for?"_

 _"You know just as well as I she called us here, not the other way around." Fuyuhiko shook his head._

 _"No dummy, I meant the first time." She clarified. He faltered. For the past year he had tried exceedingly hand to keep a professional distance from the girl. It had been fairly easy to keep her busy enforcing his might within the secret police. Lately, he had felt the barrier thinning._

 _"I'm looking for someone," he conceded, "someone that doesn't want to be found." It had been the main reason he formed the organization. Working with Junko to suppress the uprising of the Crazy Diamonds was merely a bonus. Now it seemed Junko wanted to collect. "What about you nosey. What'd you ask her for?" Akane paused mid punch._

 _"I haven't asked her for anything yet." She confessed. "I've got everything I need as a servant of the clan, what could I need her help for?"_

 _"Wait, what do you mean yet?" Kuzuryuu began, but their conversation was cut short as Junko strode into the room._

 _"Bonesy, Mr. Dragon; glad you could make it!" Junko purred. Fuyuhiko glanced at Akane, sure enough she was much thinner than last he checked. If she kept going like this, she was going to hurt herself. "Listen I have a little pet project back in Towa City that needs some extra man power." Junko pitched. "I've already got an AI Kuma set up to oversee the whole thing, buuut it's a learning program so it has a huge knowledge deficit. And like, who has time to mentor a robot or whatever, and then I remembered you guys got a lot more time to kill once my Monokuma minions came onto the scene. So what do you say, babysit my robot?" She clapped her hands together. "It will take a week tops."_

 _As if there was an option to refuse. Junko had everyone wrapped around her finger. If he pissed her off, there went his main intel on where to find Peko._

 _"Sure whatever, but I ain't changing any diapers." Fuyuhiko sighed._

 _"Fantastic, I knew I could count on you!" She beamed. "You'll love it! It'll just be the two of you in a big old house with a baby robot, you'll be like a little family. But I'll be having a few munchkins shipped over soon, so don't make too much of mess." She winked._

 _"Yeah a couple of shot nosed kids to go all Lord of the Flies on the place." She dismissed. "Don't worry, you'll never see them, that's what the robots for." Akane nudged her boss._

 _"Hey on the way back?" Fuyuhiko was about to take another drink when she snatched the flask from his hand._

 _"And let you drink yourself into a stupor?" She teased. "Hell no. Even my youngest bro takes better care of himself, then you, and he's five." She said with a laugh. "Admit it, you'd be lost without me." He stuffed his hands in his coat and kept walking in indignant silence. He stuffed his hands in his coat and kept walking in indignant silence. He never would admit it. There was only one person he had said that to and she vanished in the middle of Spring. No, he would keep his distance. Never ask questions. Her purpose was to take orders and that was all he would give her. Still she followed._

He woke to the bleating of his alarm in a cold sweat. His second night shift had come and it took all his energy to drag himself out of bed. No doubt Hinata would be just as groggy. He had stayed up way too late searching for Togami only to find him sitting in the hotel lobby with a light novel.

However that night Fuyuhiko would arrive to the dining hall with Peko. Still apprehensive about her behavior, he thanked god that Akane would not share their night time duties. Perhaps his anxiety had been what fueled that strange dream. All this talk of replacements and duties was getting to his head. Besides, he had more pressing things to worry about.

~v~

There had been one thing about Hinata's assessment of Teruteru that had perturbed Fuyuhiko more than the chef's bad attitude or weakness. He lingered outside the door unsure if he should proceed.

"Are you sure you wish to enter without me?" Peko asked.

"Well, I remember the guy was a total perv." He looked pointedly at her. "Are you sure you want to go in there?" He asked.

"I will remain by the door." She sighed. "I trust you haven't forgotten the signal?" She sighed. "I trust you haven't forgotten the signal?" She was sincere, but he chuckled as if it were a joke.

"I'll be fine." He said with a wave of his hand. "I just need to ask him a few questions." With a final sign he slipped into the room. The chef perked when he noticed his visitor.

"Boss!" Teruteru exclaimed. "I didn't think you would come see me." Fuyuhiko had thought as much.

"The tattoo on your flank is head to head dragon ain't it?" He asked, just to make sure.

"Of course, you were rather insistent I proved my loyalty before you would help my family." Teruteru said with a wry laugh. The gangster grabbed a chair, using the back of it to rest his arms on as he sat.

"And enlighten me, what exactly was our agreement?" He pressed.

"Y'know, the typical." Teruteru lamented. "You eliminate my competition I clean up after you and take care of the evidence." He mimed the use of a cutting board, though Fuyuhiko shuddered to think of the implication it had.

"And your Ma?" Fuyuhiko said, trying to change the subject.

"Still dead." Teruteru stated. "What's with all the questions? For all intents and purposes you should be terrified of me, I'm not someone to be trusted."

"Your back says otherwise." Fuyuhiko argued. "I may not remember a damn thing about what went on between us, but as long as you bear that mark you work for me." His face softened. "Now let's see about getting you in that wheelchair and out for some decent air."

"Only if Pekoyama-san join us." He responded with a sly grin. "I have been dying to met the woman who destroyed the Kuzuryuu clan." Peko flinched before, stopping into the light.

"As long as the Young Master stands, the clan stands." Peko retorted. "I don't take kindly to exaggerations." She left without another word.

"Quite the icy one." Teruteru whistled.

"Yeah, and if you try to look up her skirt again I will dump you from this chair onto the floor." Teruteru laughed at this.

"I can't help it, it's on eye level." Teruteru defended.

"I can fix that." Fuyuhiko said, holding a pen in a threatening manner. Instantly he relaxed. "I don't get you, why aren't you making a big stink out of the whole memory gap thing?"

"The thing that made me trust you in the first place was something as fluffy as memories." Teruteru shook his head. "It was this." He took the pen Fuyuhiko had threatened him with. "That cut throat attitude to get what you won't no madder what. And it worked. I had my empire while I could hold it." The pen slipped from his lax grasp. "Now you've finally found the person you were looking for. If it helps, I think things are better this way, us remembering instead of forgetting like you."

"Why the hell would you think that?" Fuyuhiko gapped as he wheeled Teruteru toward the elevators where Peko waited. He expected to hear some sentimental piece about remembering his mother's funeral or the finality of death. What the chef said instead surprised him.

"Two-three years ago I could still feel my hands, I could hold things, could have walked to the end of the hall without getting tired. A healthy kid, waking in this body, with no way of knowing how to fix it? The despair that kid would feel would make even Junko envious. It would be a living hell?" He shook his head. "And I'm just terminally ill. Imagine what that would be like for her." Fuyuhiko wanted to press further, but they had come within earshot of Peko. It seemed his companion also had the sense of mine to keep quiet on the subject in her presence.

~v~

Night shift was coming to an end an Hinata found himself back in the room with the Sarcophagi. The slowly growing number of empty pods was a slightly comforting site, but did little to cut through the ominous green glow. He sat on the floor across from the resting place of his once close friend.

"Why do you not want to wake up?" He asked of Komaeda's resting form. Silly really, it's not like he would answer. But Hinata had assumed he would have been the first to wake up or at least won Sonia's lottery. But here they were, four people later and still Komaeda slept. With the way his supposed luck went, surely he would have awoken if he wanted to. "For someone with a talent so vapid, you truly are incomprehensible."

Silence continued to barrage his ears as he whittled away the remaining minutes of night fall. Here he sat, night after night like he had during the breakout of despair disease, watching his friend decline ever so slowly. If he could still call him a friend after everything. How many times had he tried to bring them to an untimely end?

"You're so hypocritical, you know that?" He barked. "Always pinning for hope, but that minute something proved you were wrong about it, about me, you plunge into a tailspin and tried to drag us all down with you. Well the jokes on Komaeda. I had a talent the whole time!" He laughed. "You thought you saw it in me and then let one piece of paper destroy it. You ruined everything about that world and hen left." He shook his head. "What everything about that world and then left." He shook his head. "What were you trying to prove hunh? What's so important about being right all the right all the time you had to go and die over it?" He kicked the pod.

Recall. Review. Analyze. Repeat. Over and over again his mind ran in circles, trying to find what went wrong. When had he missed the signs? What mannerism or lines was the clue that something was off?

"When I blacked out on the island, you were the only one who came back for me. Everyone else had gone their separate ways. That's not something people fake. Even Mikan ditched me, and she's supposed to care about people, but she went stopping instead. I wouldn't have adjusted as easily as I did without you." He sighed. "I need that person again. I need someone to rely on, but you killed them both. The least you could do is wake up and tell me what was going through your head! So just do it already!"

The room was still. The air conditioning was off, even the machine suppressed it's humming. But nothing followed. Hinata leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.

"I always wandered, with as backwards as your logic was that maybe you were wrong about your talent. I mean everything something bad happened you acted like it was a good thing, but what if that was the case. Junko's AI getting trapped in the Neo World was, by the world's standards, good luck since we finally destroyed her. Everything after that was flipped, and that's where you miscalculated when you tried to kill us. That's one possibility. But you know what I think?" He glowered "I don't think you were that unlucky at all. In fact every horrible thing that happened on that island was you doing. You sabotaged your own chance at happiness, because at some point you convinced yourself that you weren't allowed to live a normal life." He shook his head. "Talk about a sham of a talent. I never really believed in luck."

Pain shot through his head and down into his shoulders. Something about what he had said was forcing a memory of sorts to the forefront of his mind. Like déjà, only sickeningly painful. It was a familiar sensation, not became it would come and go since he woke up, but because it was something Kamakura had experienced time and again in the lab. When he felt this way it would mean more surgeries. A side of fact from trying to erase an entire human being.

"Hinata-no I. I've said this before..." He realized. "To you." He couldn't for the life of him remember the context, or what possible scenario would have put him in a position to talk to Komaeda. But between the Neo World and Hopes Peak's brain washing he couldn't for the life of him recall. At the moment, his head hurt too much to try.


End file.
